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Streetwise (Skill)
Streetwise is the definitive skill for getting along in both the big city and criminal underworld. This skill is used to access the black market, bribe people outside organizations, gamble, and haggle. Streetwise is common to gangsters, cops, street urchins, and anyone else who spends a good deal of time in cities. 'Sample Knowledge: '''Districts, police, crime, and merchandise common in most cities; street personalities common in each specific city; hideouts and smuggling routes. Black Market This skill check is used to locate a buyer or seller on the black market. Your base DC with a Black Market check is determined by the area you sweep, which also sets the upper Caliber limit in gear that a buyer or seller may traffic, as shown on Table 2.44: Black Market Checks. This table also provides the base cost, error range modifier, and time required for each Black Market check. Alternately, you may bribe the locals to find a convenient black market dealer. In either case, with success, you find a dealer. Negotiating a purchase or sale is handled with the Streetwise/Haggling check. '''Cooperative: '''Yes (maximum 5 helpers). '''Retry: '''No. Each team may make only 1 Black Market check per scene. '''Threat: '''You gain a friend or two among the local dealers. Your error range with each Black Market check made in the same area decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current mission or until you fail a Black Market check within the same area (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You locate a dealer in 1/2 the standard time (rounded down, minimum 1 hour). '''Error: '''You bother the local dealers. The error range of Black Market checks made within the area searched increases by 2. This effect lasts until the end of the current mission or until you succeed with a Black Market within the same area (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''You seriously irritate prominent local dealers. You may not make a Black Market check within 100 miles of your current position for the duration of the current mission. Bribe You may attempt to bribe any NPC who is the target of a skill check with the “Bribe” tag. When bribing someone in an urban environment, you use this Bribe check; otherwise, you use the one under the Bureaucracy skill. If the Bribe check targets 1 or more special NPCs, each must be bribed with a minimum of $250 × his Wealth (minimum $100). If the Bribe check targets up to 10 standard NPCs, each must be bribed with a minimum of $50 × his career level. If the Bribe check targets 10 or more standard NPCs (a “crowd”), the entire crowd must be bribed as one unit, with the minimum amount of money shown on Table 2.7: Crowds. If you can’t provide this base value or higher, in cash or gear the target wants, the bribe automatically fails and the time spent attempting it is wasted. The Bribe check’s DC is equal to the original check DC + 10, though you may reduce this by 5 each time you increase the money dedicated to the bribe and the time spent to perform the check by their base minimums. This may not reduce the DC by more than 25. ''Example 1: When bribing one standard NPC, reducing the Bribe check DC by 5 requires a bribe of $100 × the target’s career level; reducing it by 10 requires a bribe of $150 × the target’s career level; reducing it by 15 requires a bribe of $200 × the target’s career level; reducing it by 20 requires a bribe of $250 × the target’s career level; and reducing it by 25 requires a bribe of $300 × the target’s career level. Example 2: ''When bribing an NPC crowd of 50 characters, reducing the Bribe check DC by 5 requires a bribe of $1,500 × the crowd’s average career level; reducing it by 10 requires a bribe of $3,000 × the crowd’s average career level; reducing it by 15 requires a bribe of $4,500 × the crowd’s average career level; reducing it by 20 requires a bribe of $6,000 × the crowd’s average career level; and reducing it by 25 requires a bribe of $7,500 × the crowd’s average career level. With success, the target accepts your offer and you achieve the effects of the original check’s success. With failure, the target refuses your offer and his minimum bribe value is multiplied by 5 until the end of the current mission, or until you succeed with a Bribe check. ''Honorable NPCs: ''Unless otherwise specified, all NPCs are susceptible to bribes, though the GC may make any one character immune by spending 1 action die (for a special character) or 2 action dice (for a standard character). The DC to bribe an immune character, or a crowd containing an immune character, rises by 15 and the error range rises by 2. With a failed Bribe check against an immune NPC of his crowd, the target’s disposition toward you drops by 1 grade until the end of the current mission or until you succeed with a Bribe check, and with a critical failure, the target’s disposition toward you permanently drops by 1 grade. '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''Yes, though the target’s minimum bribe value may have changed. '''Threat: '''You benefit from the original skill’s threat result. '''Critical Success: '''You benefit from the original skill’s critical success result. '''Error: '''The target views you as a tightwad. His minimum bribe value is multiplied by 20 until the end of the current mission, or until you succeed with a Bribe check. Further, if the request involves a crime, the target informs the authorities if questioned. '''Critical Failure: '''The target views you as a miser. His minimum bribe value is multiplied by 50 until the end of the current mission, or until you succeed with a Bribe check. Further, if the request involves a crime, the target informs the authorities at the first reasonable opportunity. Gambling This skill check is used to gamble against “the House” or one or more opponents. The game sets the key attribute, based on whether it’s a House game (Wisdom) or a competitive game (Charisma). Each Gambling check corresponds to one “round” of play, with one payout. The time required for one round of play in most common real-world games is provided on Table 2.45: Gambling Checks. When playing any house game (e.g. baccarat, craps, roulette), each character’s Gambling result opposes a result generated by the GC (“the House”). The House has a total Streetwise/Gambling skill bonus equal to the mission’s Threat Level + 15, a result cap equal to its skill bonus + 20, and an error range of 1. The House’s error range does not change due to the game played, but each player’s error range is modified as shown on Table 2.45. Each character whose result exceeds that of the House wins the game’s standard payout (in addition to recouping his bet). When playing any competitive game (e.g. billiards, chemin de fer, poker), each character’s Gambling result opposes each other opponent’s Gambling result. Each player’s error range is modified as shown on Table 2.45, and the highest result wins the game’s standard payout (in addition to recouping his bet). The House claims 5% of every payout (rounded down) as “rent” for the table. ''Bluffing: At the start of each Gambling check during a competitive game, you may declare that you’re bluffing. In this case, you make a Bluff/Deception check in place of your Gambling check. Further, you may voluntarily increase your check’s threat range by a number up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), but your error range increases by the same amount. Each time you suffer an error when bluffing, the maximum amount by which you may increase your threat range is reduced by 1. With a critical failure when bluffing, this amount is reduced by 2. If your maximum threat range increase amount is reduced to 0, you may not bluff again at the same table during the same scene. Cheating: ''At the start of each Gambling check, you may declare that you’re cheating. In this case, you make a Sleight of Hand/Conceal Action check in place of your Gambling check. Further, you may voluntarily increase your check’s threat range by a number up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), but your error range increases by the same amount. Each time you suffer an error when cheating, the maximum amount by which you may increase your threat range is reduced by 1. With a critical failure when cheating, this amount is reduced by 2. If your maximum threat range increase is reduced to 0, you are found out by the House or the other players (per the GC’s discretion). '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''You’re hot. Your error range with each Gambling check made at the same table decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you fail a Gambling check at the same table (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You hit the game’s ultimate jackpot (e.g. a 21 in blackjack, a single number in roulette, a ‘natural’ in chemin de fer, the best hand after heavy betting in poker, etc.). You earn the game’s critical payout (in addition to recouping your bet), and in some cases, you may spend more than 1 action die to yield an even more impressive win. '''Error: '''You’re cold. Your error range with each Gambling check made at the same table increases by 2. This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you succeed with a Gambling check at the same table (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''You lose big. Not only do you lose your bet, but you also owe an additional amount equal to 3 × your bet per action die the GC spends to activate your critical failure (maximum 12 × your bet — unless you cheated, in which case no maximum applies). Haggle This skill check is used to convince one character to sell you something at less than his asking cost, or to buy something from you for more than he’s initially willing to pay. Your Haggle result is opposed by the target NPC’s Haggle result. After a Haggle check, each character agrees that the asking price is fair as modified by the check. Player characters need not move forward with the transaction, but NPCs do, unless they can’t afford the modified asking price. ''Buying/Selling Multiple Items: When you want to buy and/or sell multiple items as a lot, you make only 1 Haggle check with a –1 penalty per item beyond the first. The buying or selling price of each item is set by the one Haggle check made. Selling Possessions and Mission Gear: ''Selling personal Possessions decreases the character’s Wealth. Selling items that are to be returned at the end of the mission hurts the character’s Reputation with his organization or his Net Worth within his Freelance network. For full details, see the Liquidating Assets section, page 220. ''Restricted Items: When the characters try to sell one or more Restricted items (see page 225), they must first make a team Impress (Cha) check opposed by the potential buyer’s Resolve/Resist Impress skill. The characters suffer a –5 penalty per Caliber of gear they’re trying to sell (minimum –5). Only the highest Caliber gear amongst all restricted items is factored into this penalty. With success, the characters may attempt the Haggle check, but there is no base asking price; instead, the final asking price is determined by the Haggle check result, as shown on Table 2.46. With failure, the characters cannot attempt a Haggle check with the current buyer. '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''If the seller, the final asking price is doubled. If the buyer, the final asking price is reduced to 1/2 standard (rounded down). '''Critical Success: '''If the seller, the final asking price is quadrupled. If the buyer, the final asking price is reduced to 1/4 standard (rounded down). '''Error: '''If the seller, the price is the final asking price is reduced to 1/2 standard (rounded down). If the buyer, the final asking price is doubled. '''Critical Failure: '''If the seller, the final asking price is the price is reduced to 1/4 standard (rounded down). If the buyer, the final asking price is quadrupled. Category:Skill Rules Category:Skill Checks